


A Trip to NYC

by magsforya



Series: Your Best Friend's Boy [2]
Category: Glee RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, Not Famous
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-06-03
Updated: 2014-06-03
Packaged: 2018-02-03 07:14:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,180
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1735817
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/magsforya/pseuds/magsforya
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The first time Chris and Darren really hang out is in New York City. Darren gets him drunk and high, and somehow weedles the ‘Big Dick Chris’ story out of him. Takes places two years before part one.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Trip to NYC

**Author's Note:**

> This is very pre-slash. Even more so than part one. But I think it’s important to show the foundation of their relationship.
> 
> Can be found at my [Tumblr](http://magsforya.tumblr.com/post/86532475249/your-best-friends-boy-part-2)

                When Chris first meets Darren, he’s nineteen years old and not quite sure how to act. Does he shake Darren’s hand? Does he just nod his head in greeting? Does he try and corner him and give the, “If you hurt my best friend…” speech?

                In the end he waves his hand and stands around awkwardly. He’s pretty good at doing that.

                He’s in a park with a bunch of other people—Chris’ friends. Well, Emma’s friends first, but a year and a half of knowing them has turned them into Chris’ friends, too. Since a few of them—Chris included—aren’t twenty-one yet, Emma decided that the best way to introduce her boyfriend to her group of friends was by bringing him along to one of their monthly hiking trips.

                They’re all standing around gawkily as Emma introduces Darren.

                “Everyone, this is Darren. Darren, this is everyone,” she says.

                “Right on,” Darren laughs, long curly hair blowing in the wind. He looks around at the small gathering of people, nodding at each one.

                There’s about ten other people there and they all break off into groups as they head out. For the first half hour Chris hangs out with Derek and Aiden and they lead the hike. He can hear Emma and Darren and some other friends laughing in the background and telling jokes, and a few times Aiden or Derek will turn around and throw something into the conversation.

                But then Emma calls out to him.

                “Chris! Get over here and meet Darren.”

                Chris stops and turns around, waiting as Emma and Darren catch up.

                “Hey,” he says, looking at Emma.

                “Darren, this is my best friend Chris,” she says, smiling shyly. Chris can only imagine what she’s told Darren about him.

                 “Wait. So _you’re_ Big Dick Chris?!” Darren smiles, eyebrows raised and hidden behind his afro.

                Chris splutters on his own saliva and swallows it down the wrong tube, coughing.

                “You told him?!” Chris squeaks.

                “Hey, I didn’t tell him anything,” Emma laughs.

                “Nope! That was me!” Aaron hollers from in front of them.

                “You’re a legend, man!” Darren says, holding his hand out.

                Chris, not really sure how to respond, shakes Darren’s hand. He’s blushing from head to toe.

                Emma’s quietly chuckling through the whole interaction, and after Chris is able to stop choking he gently pushes her.

                “Asshole,” he murmurs.

                “It was _all_ Aaron!” She replies.

                “For what it’s worth,” Darren replies. “It’s probably one of the best stories I’ve ever heard.”

                “Well I’m glad my train wreck of a life can entertain someone,” Chris says, walking next to Darren.

                “If it makes you feel any better, I once slept with a TA.”

                “What’s a TA?” Chris asks.

                “A Teaching Assistant,” Darren says, zipping up his salmon covered light jacket.

                “I have no idea what that is,” Chris replies.

                “What kind of school did you go to?!” Darren asks.

                “I didn’t. I mean, not college. Moved out here after high school. The whole acting thing. All that jazz.”

                “How’s it going for you?” Darren asks.

                Chris shrugs. “I’m not starving,” he offers.

                The rest of the night goes well. Everyone seems to enjoy Darren. He never gets into anyone’s business, but when he’s involved in the conversation he’s funny and spunky and confident. By the end of the night it feels almost as if Darren was always a part of the group.

                He becomes a regular on their monthly hikes, and Chris ends up seeing him a lot more often than he expects to. Emma invites Darren along all of the time. At first it sort of peeves Chris because he feels like he never gets alone time with his best friend, but it’s too hard to stay mad at Emma when he actually enjoys Darren’s company.

                But in the end, Emma does push friendship on them. It’s always been important to her that all of her friends get along. It’s how Chris ended up befriending all of her friends, after all.

                So after two months of knowing Darren—and having never hung out with him alone—Emma proposes something.

                “Darren!” She says, stumbling onto his shoulder and interrupting Chris and Darren’s conversation. They’re at Aaron and Derek’s apartment and they’re drunk. Everyone is. “You’re going to New York next month right?!”

                “Yes,” he says, pushing a strand of her hair behind her hair.

                “You’re going the same time as Chris!” She says again, pointing to Chris who is watching the whole interaction with an upraised eyebrow.

                “Is that so?” Darren asks, giving Chris an inquisitive glance.

                “Yes!” Emma says. “And you two should stay together. So Chris doesn’t have to get a hotel room alone. And so he’ll actually go out and have fun!”

                “Hey!” Chris says. “I have fun!”

                Emma shakes her head. “Shut up, Chris. I’m working an angle here.”

                “Chris is more than welcome to join me at my friend’s place. I’ll show him the city.”

                “You’re the best,” Emma says, kissing Darren’s cheek. Darren turns his head and kisses her on the lips, and Chris sneaks away so they can make out.

* * *

 

                The next morning while lying in bed Chris gets a text from a strange number.

                _Wanna get together?_

                Chris has absolutely no idea who this guy is, and he’s hoping it’s not some random guy he met at the few clubs he’s able to go to. If he were a stronger person he’d just ignore the message, but the curiosity gets to him and before he even realizes what he’s doing, he texts back.

                **Who’s this?**

_Darren. Emma gave me your number_

                Chris sits up, rubbing his eyes. He doesn’t have any plans today, so he has no real reason to say no to Darren. Plus, if he’s being honest with himself, Darren is a pretty cool guy. He wouldn’t mind hanging out with him occasionally.

                **Sure.**

_Sure to hanging out? Awesome. I gotta shower, but I’ll text in like an hour?_

**Yeah. works for me**

             Chris gets out of bed and heads for the shower himself.

* * *

 

                “So about next month,” Darren says.

                They’re hanging out on the boardwalk drinking fruit smoothies. Summer is coming to an end, but the chill of fall hasn’t yet set in.

                “What about next month?” Chris asks.

                “About New York. We’re gonna stay at my buddy’s place in Chelsea.”

                “Darren,” Chris starts. “You don’t have to invite me along just because Emma asked you to.”

                “I’m not!” Darren says, sipping his drink as they walk.

                Chris hums.

                “I’m serious,” Darren smiles. “It’s so expensive to get your own hotel. Plus, if I’m gonna be there anyway we might as well just hang out. Emma says you’ve never been to New York?”

                “Yeah. It’s my first time.”

                “You get a gig out there or something?”

                “ _Law & Order: SVU_,” Chris replies.

                “No fucking way! Are you serious?!” Darren asks.

                “Yeah,” Chris smiles shyly. This will be the first time that he’s starring on a show he actually likes and watches.

                “That’s gnarly,” Darren says, patting his back. “That’s like, totally cool.”

                Chris scratches his forehead. “Yeah. I’m excited.”

                “Then it’s settled,” Darren says, taking a few quick steps and turning around. He stops walking so he and Chris are facing each other.

                “You’re staying with me. I’ll introduce you to my friends and take you around the city.”

                “You know I’m not twenty-one, right? You can go out and leave me at your friends place.”

                “Hell no,” Darren says. “We’ll have some good, wholesome fun. And I’ll take you to the bars that don’t card!”

                Darren smiles a toothy grin, and Chris can’t help but smile back. He’s glad to know that Darren is just as great of a guy when he’s not with Emma.

                They spend the rest of the day at the beach until Darren has to leave. He has work tonight. Chris isn’t sure what job—he knows Darren has a few. But he doesn’t feel close enough to ask. Darren gives him a goodbye pat on the shoulder, and Chris drives his clunker of a car home.

* * *

 

                Hanging out with Darren is a lot different than hanging out with Emma. Emma met him when he was just eighteen, and she took a liking towards him. She played the part of the overprotective big sister. Whenever she’d drop him off at his apartment, she’d wait in her car until he was safely inside the building. If Chris was spending a day going to auditions, she made him text her every time he left one place and got to another. She was always worried that Chris would get lost in the city, and while Chris thought it was annoying and rather overbearing, he did have to admit he like how much she cared for him. It made it easy to grow close to her when she made it so obvious how much she cared about him.

                Darren is nothing like Emma.

                He got to New York before Chris, and he’s staying a few days after Chris leaves. A couple of days before Chris flies out, Darren sends him a text with the address of his friend’s place.

                Chris lands in JFK and stands outside for a little bit. It was his first time on an airplane, his first time on the East Coast, and his first time in a city other than LA. He pulls up the address of where he’s going and walks around the airport trying to find the exit and hoping there’s a cab there. He’s not even sure where exactly he’s going—he knows he’s going to Chelsea but he doesn’t really know what that means or where that is, whether or not he should take public transit. But it’s midnight and his call time tomorrow is at six in the morning, so he doesn’t mind dropping money on a cab if it means he can grab a shower quicker.

                He shoots Darren a text when he’s outside of the apartment building, and Darren buzzes him in. He walks up to the fourth floor and the apartment door is already open.

                “Hello?” Chris says standing outside of the apartment.

                “Hey!” Darren hollers, walking up to the door from around the corner. “Come in!”

                Darren has a beer in his hand as he ushers Chris into the apartment. There are three other people there, all sitting in the living room.

                “Guys, this is Chris. Chris, this is Eric and Joe.”

                Chris nods to them, awkwardly holding onto his bag.

                “You can just put that anywhere,” Darren tells him. “You cool wit crashing on the couch?”

                “Yeah. Totally,” Chris says, putting his bag down in the corner of the living room.

                He stands for a second before walking back to the couch and sitting down. Darren, Eric, and Joe are all talking and laughing, relaxing in the living room.

                Chris just sits on the couch and tries not to move too much. He wishes he could pay more attention to the conversation at hand, but all he can think about is the small headache he has and the fact that his alarm clock is set to wake him up in three hours.

                “You can grab a shower if you want,” Joe says, standing up from the couch. “Now or when you wake up. We have an extra towel if you need it. It’s the purple one. You’ll know it when you see it.”

                “Thanks,” Chris says. He didn’t even think to pack a towel. But he did pack shampoo and soap, so he grabs them, and his pajamas, and heads down the hallway towards what he is hoping is the bathroom.

* * *

 

                He is filming for three days, but originally it was supposed to be five so Chris has two extra days in the city with nothing to do. Nothing, that is, except walk around and look at the sites.

                He doesn’t see Darren—or Eric and Joe—much the first three days. He gets up before the sun rises and often gets home after it sets. He passes out on the couch while everyone else is enjoying the city night life.

                He does feel a bit like an intruder in someone else’s apartment, and he’s almost afraid to touch anything. He knows he’d have been more comfortable in a hotel, but it’s hard to turn down Darren, and he has to admit that the few extra hundred dollars he’s saving from not needing a hotel makes it all worth it.

                But the first day he has free he wakes up at nine, folds his blankets and fixes the couch, and heads out. He has absolutely no plans and no ideas as to what he wants to see. He uses his phone to find some fun and trendy places, caves in and buys an ‘I <3 NYC’ shirt, and sits down with a book in Central Park.

                He grabs an early dinner at a deli before heading to Broadway and seeing if there are any shows with tickets still available. There are a few, but none in his price range, so he heads back to the apartment with a sigh. When he gets there, Darren is sitting at the table shoving pasta in his mouth.

“How was work?” He asks Chris.

                “Filming ended yesterday,” Chris says, putting down the bag filled with stuff he bought.

                “What did you do today?” Darren asks, eyebrows furrowed as he turns towards Chris.

                “I just walked around. Explored the city.”

                “You should have told me. I coulda taken you around.

                “Eh,” Chris says, sitting on the couch. “I found my way around.”

                “Well, what are you doing tomorrow?” Darren asks.

                “Same thing, I guess. My flight leaves at eight tomorrow night.”

                “Hmm,” Darren says, still eating. “We’ll wake up early and I’ll show you all the hot spots.”

                “You don’t have to,” Chris replies, not wanting Darren to feel forced to play tour guide.

                “I’m not letting you leave New York having only visited Central Park, Chris,” Darren says.

                Chris blushes. “How’d you know I went there?”

                Darren shakes his head and laughs. “Fucking nube,” he mutters.

                 That night instead of going out, Darren stays in with Chris. Chris keeps telling him not to—Darren comes to New York so rarely and sees his college friends even less. He should be hanging out with them.

                But instead Darren runs out and comes back with a bottle of cheap rum and a bottle of coke and tells Chris to put on something comfy.

                “Because we’re going to make the best of your underaged ass. And seriously—how do you not have a fake ID?!”

                Chris shrugs, but takes the cup of booze that Darren hands him.

                “Cheers,” Darren says, clinking cups.

* * *

 

                They end up, an hour later, on the couch.

                Sort of.

                They are lying upside down, their heads hanging over the couch as they stare at the ceiling above them. Their legs, which are leaning against the wall, keep knocking.

                “So,” Darren says, taking a big puff of the blunt he pulled out of his bag twenty minutes ago. When he blows the smoke out he makes a ring in the air.

                “Wow,” Chris says, dazed. This is the first time he’s ever smoked, but Darren doesn’t know that. Chris didn’t want to tell him.

                Darren passes the blunt to Chris.

                “Tell me the story about Big Dick Chris.”

                Chris coughs on the smoke as he inhales, wishing he could reach the cup of water that’s on the table a foot away from his head.

                “What do you want to know? I thought Aaron told you.” He says, voice scratchy as he passes the weed back to Darren, who holds onto it for a second, not smoking.

                “Like…the story. Aaron only glossed over it. I want the details,” he says, grinning at the ceiling.

                Chris looks back at the ceiling, too.

                “I met him. And we had sex,” he says.

                Darren laughs, so Chris laughs, too.

                “Ugh,” Chris says. “What did you want to hear?!”

                “The details, man! The details.”

                “Okay,” Chris replies. “So. Emma introduced us. And then we were at a party. And we were drunk. And we danced together. And we didn’t know each other.” Chris snags the blunt from Darren, taking a hit. “And….and…” He says, lost for a second. “And we had sex. And after a month of like, being friends, we realized that we were just friends. But then he told everyone when he was drunk that I had the biggest penis of anyone he ever slept with.”

                Darren’s laughing, and then Chris is laughing. And then Chris is hitting Darren.

                “Stop laughing!” He says, grinning wide. “It’s not funny!”

                “So how big is your dick actually?” Darren asks, getting up from his position to put the blunt out. Chris stays in his spot.

                “I don’t know,” he blushes.

                “Bullshit,” Darren says.

                “No. Seriously. It’s not like I ever measured it.”

                Darren rolls his eyes.

                “I’m serious!” Chris laughs.

                “I don’t believe you,” Darren sings.

                “Ugh. Fine.” Chris says, cheeks darkening. He throws the crook of his elbow over his eyes. “I really have never measured it. But Aaron said his is almost seven and I’m…noticeably larger.”

                Darren chokes on his own spit and grabs the blunt, relighting it before handing it to Chris.

                “Yeah. Wow. That’s…impressive.”

                “So how big is yours?” Chris asks. “Fair’s fair.”

                “A little over six,” Darren says, without pause.

                Chris lifts his arm and looks over at Darren, eyebrows raised as he grabs the joint.

                “And that’s just something you know…”

                “What teenager doesn’t measure their dick?”

                “You’re not a teenager anymore,” Chris says, putting the joint to his lips.

                Darren laughs. “Honestly, I haven’t measured my dick in years.”

                Chris puts his hand in front of his face and wiggles his fingers, looking at the shadows they make on the dimly lit ceiling.

                “I gotta admit,” Darren says. “You’re a pretty cool person.”

                “Uhm. Thanks,” Chris says as he passes the blunt back to Darren. There’s only a few puffs left and they pass it between the both of them to finish it out.

                Afterwards they lay around talking and nursing their drinks. They’re still awake when Eric and Joe get home, drunk and tired, but happy and willing to spend an hour hanging out with Chris and Darren.

                Chris passes out on the couch at around four in the morning, still slightly buzzed and with a smile on his face.

* * *

 

                Two weeks later Darren flies back to LA. Chris only knows it because Emma won’t stop talking about it. It’s been two and a half weeks since she’s seen Darren, and by the looks of it she’s going crazy. They apparently have plans to spend the night together and then the next day, and Chris tells her to have fun before kissing her cheek goodbye at the restaurant Happy Hour they’re at.

                The next day he gets a text from Darren.

                **Getting a bunch of ppl together this wknd for a party. You in?**

 _Totally_ , Chris texts back.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed!


End file.
